Leda 

Gerda Wegener's 'Leda' presents a stylized, erotically charged scene that engages with classical myth. The composition is immediately striking, defined by sinuous lines and a palette that juxtaposes cool blues and greens with the fleshy pink tones of the figures. This colour play, combined with the Art Deco-inspired rendering of the forms, creates a decadent, almost dreamlike atmosphere. Wegener, working in a period of significant social and sexual change, destabilizes traditional representations of women and myth. She uses a system of visual codes to reinterpret the myth of Leda, drawing upon the visual language of her time, including fashion, interior and theatre design. The formal elements of the artwork – the expressive lines, the decorative patterns and the theatrical staging – function not merely as aesthetic devices, but also as semiotic tools that invite us to question fixed meanings and categories. Note the line work, how it delineates form while contributing to the overall decorative effect. It's in this interplay of form and decoration that Wegener's 'Leda' finds its power, pushing the boundaries of representation and challenging conventional interpretations of myth and sexuality.